Legal Editor: Analytical

The Legal Editor, Analytical is responsible for recruiting and maintaining author relationships; editing manuscripts for legal accuracy, style, grammar, punctuation, and spelling; planning publication update releases; and securing release highlights for publication updates. For all content and in all media, the Legal Editor will work with the authors to ensure the accuracy, utility, and currency of the products, while also complying with Analytical schedules, best practices workflow, and publishing standards.

The Legal Editor will work with Content Operations partners, Indexing, offshore team members, and vendors, as required, to define the most appropriate production channel for each publication and implement streamlined processes to ensure the quality and timely completion of all aspects of product releases in all media. The Legal Editor will stay abreast of all new tool developments and adapt to best practices as product requirements dictate.

The Legal Editor will also serve as an advisor for offshore team members, providing content editing guidance when appropriate. As needed, the Legal Editor will provide support to Product Managers, staying abreast of news, legislative, litigation and other legal developments and trends in order to assess product-specific competition, ensure appropriate coverage in the portfolio(s), identify gaps and overlaps, and advise on ways to make content available in all media, and, if applicable, may be asked to help develop multimedia content, such as videos, webinars, Continuing Legal Education (CLEs), newsroom content, classroom tools, and other new methods that may arise.

Accountabilities

1. Author Relationships:

• Maintain author relationships for existing publications, ensuring timely receipt of manuscript.
• Engage in author recruitment for both existing and new products in any media, including, but not limited to, identifying author prospects, contacting them, negotiating an agreement for their services, and drafting the author agreement.
• Provide authors with legal areas of focus, emerging issues etc. as needed.
• Consult and negotiate with the author(s) of assigned works/products regarding any material changes to such works/products.
• Partner with authors to ensure the timely delivery of manuscript in the appropriate format.
• Encourage authors to use tools to submit manuscript more efficiently.
• Arrange for author payment and support the Royalty Accounting team.
• Develop strong author relationships that can potentially benefit other departments at LN including marketing, and product strategy and development.
• Partner with Product Managers and the Legal Department to dissolve unsuccessful author relationships.

2. Planning and Scheduling:

• Collaborate with authors and, as appropriate, Product Managers to develop and update production release schedules in compliance with customer and business needs.
• Alert the Managing Editor immediately of any changes or developments that may affect the publishing schedule, i.e. that may delay or accelerate publication, reduce or increase costs, or result in a workload that deviates from that budgeted for.

3. Manuscript Management:

• Assure the receipt of complete manuscript, supporting documentation, and release highlights for all publications.
• Prepare relevant internal documentation, together with supporting hard copy, files, and illustrations, for timely delivery, with edited manuscript, to Indexing, Operations and the offshore team as appropriate.
• Help with the design/creation of sample pages for new works/products as required.
• Establish and manage budgets for author and other outside editorial payments for manuscript preparation, ensuring that budgets are not exceeded.
• Ensure that invoices for any work done on an assigned work/product are submitted in good time and are accurate and complete.

4. Editing:

• Comply with author manuscript update directions. Copy edit and review for substantive accuracy, as appropriate, assigned publications, with consideration for content functionality in all media and observing the conventions of the work/product concerned ensuring they accord with general publishing conventions or with other acceptable LexisNexis conventions.
• Check the accuracy of references to legislation in assigned works/products.
• Compile supplementary matter (e.g. table of contents, table of cases, table of statutes, bulletin, control/instruction sheet, etc.) or check such matter as required.
• Check the correctness of the information on covers, binder mock-ups or proofs, or in marketing or associated material, as required.

5. Communication:

• Managing relevant outsourcing projects, including drafting instructions and providing feedback to vendors/contractors/offshore team. Report status as needed to Editorial Directors, Content Operations SMEs, and Operations directors in a consistent and effective format.
• Ensure that work performed by internal or external service providers for an assigned work/product meets agreed quality standards and conforms to the approved publishing conventions of that work/product.
• Complete a pre-press pass sheet for each assigned work/product before releasing the latter for publication.
• Inform Electronic Publishing that an assigned work/product that is to be published in electronic or digital format has been released for publication and supply Electronic Publishing with the relevant files or with access to those files.

6. Quality:

• Perform a quality review of assigned products in all media.
• Check printers’ proofs and advance copies of assigned works/products and of such other works/products as the Managing Editor may direct.
• Ensure that the content of the printed and digital/electronic versions of assigned works/products matches or corresponds in every material respect.

7. Continuous Improvement:

• Support continuous improvement by driving operational excellence and seeking to enhance customer value via ongoing educational training.
• Participate in research and development of new technologies and procedures.

8. Release Process Management:

• Implement operational efficiencies to support best practices and adherence to milestone publication dates.
• Assess the critical needs of assigned publications, the best production approach for each release cycle, and determine the use of internal and external resources.
• Define appropriate production process for new products as assigned.
• Leverage existing knowledge of tools and processes by cross training and sharing information with team members.
• Prepare or update training manuals when required.

9. Customer Assistance:

• Help customers with product-specific inquiries for assigned products.

10. Marketing and Sales:

• Support marketing and sales activities by collaborating with colleagues in the creation of content for sales campaigns and training, value statements and other information as requested.

11. Practice Area Knowledge:

• Track and monitor relevant legislation, case law, news, and developments as needed to maintain awareness of current topics for inclusion in assigned publications.

12. Support Initiatives:

• As determined by the Editorial Director, contribute to initiatives as needed, including competitor analysis, content expansion, new product development, Practical Guidance, CLE, sales training, tool testing, or other new initiatives that may arise.

Skills and characteristics required

• Excellent command of English language.
• Excellent interpersonal skills, including written and oral communication, a positive attitude, and professional demeanor employed in routine contact with geographically diverse authors, colleagues, customers, and vendors.
• Strong editorial and proofing skills; attention to detail, style, format, consistency, and quality.
• Strong organizational and project management skills.
• Ability to handle multiple tasks simultaneously and with flexibility.
• Time management skills to meet rigid and frequent deadlines.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team.
• Competence in MS Office, especially MS Word.
• Self-motivated and demonstrates initiative.
• Good problem-solving skills.
• Agile, resilient and adaptable.
• Technical proficiency preferred, including familiarity with XML/HTML, content management systems, and a basic understanding of Agile methodology and automation fundamentals.

Qualifications

• LLB or equivalent legal degree or other relevant bachelor’s degree with English as a major.
• Prior publishing experience or legal practice experience preferred.

LexisNexis, a division of RELX Group, is an equal opportunity employer: qualified applicants are considered for and treated during employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, sex, national origin, citizenship status, disability status, protected veteran status, age, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by law. If a qualified individual with a disability or disabled veteran needs a reasonable accommodation to use or access our online system, that individual should please contact [email protected] or if you are based in the US you may also contact us on 1.855.833.5120.